The Outside In
by KaitlynWinchester
Summary: We all know of Dallas Winston's tragic fate. But what if he met some one that would change his life completly? Would that change his destiny?
1. Chapter 1

**C****hapter** 1

It was a hot summer day and the sun was burning down on Tulsa, Oklahoma. A boy of about seventeen was running through the streets at top speed, a knife clutched in one hand and a bunch of money in the other. Police sirens could be heard not too far behind him as he turned sharply down another road. The people around however, seemed not to notice any of it, this was typical on the North side of town. As he pelted around another corner the police cars came in sight. The boy swore under his breath. Then he saw his ticket out; A hole in a gate to his right. He ran and climbed through the gate before taking off again.

Once on the other side of the gate though, he had stop. He had managed to get himself on the Southside of town. He stuffed the money and knife in his coat pocket and walked down the nice clean sidewalk, trying not to look too suspicious, which was hard to do with his leather jacket, tight jeans, and long hair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and then heard the police sirens again, still close. _"Crap!" _ He thought.

He took off running again, looking for a good place to hide, but there weren't many good hiding places in this neighborhood. With its nice orderly houses, all in a row, perfect trimmed gardens and fancy Corvairs and Corvettes sitting parked in the driveways. His eyes scanned the area carefully. He saw an orange Ford fairlane sitting by the side of road. He decided to take a chance and ran over, opened the passenger side door, and climbed in only to find, much to his dismay, someone sitting in the driver's seat, reading a thick book. The girl in the car snapped her head up as he closed the door. She fixed her dark brown gaze on his face, looking very confused. He expected to hear her shout something along the lines of, "Get out Greaser" or "Ahhh you hood!" but instead she just asked in a slow confused voice, "Can I help you?"

Though he was taken aback for a moment, he regained his composure. "You could drive." He said, still expecting her to explode on him at any moment, but she never did. She just closed her book, threw it in the back seat, and started to drive as if it were normal for strangers to jump in her car and ask for a ride. "So who are you running from?" She asked casually. The boy grinned sheepishly; still convinced she would come to her senses at any moment and kick him out. "The cops" He replied, pushing his very blonde hair back out of his face. The girl turned a sharp curve then looked over to him. "If I'm going to help you hide from the cops, could you at least tell me your name?" She asked. He was once again taken aback. "I'm Dallas, Dallas Winston." He told her.

She smiled. "That's a nice name. I'm Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn Hurt." She replied. Dallas looked out the window quickly before turning back to Kaitlyn. "It's nice to meet you, but why are you being so nice to me?" He asked genuinely confused.

"What reason would I have to not be?" She questioned, looking straight ahead.

"Well it's just that I'm a greaser and you're obviously a Soc-"

"Wait, a what?" She cut in as she took another turn down a different street.

"You don't know what Socs and Greasers are?" He asked, still very confused.

"Can't say I do." She replied. "I just moved here two days ago though." She explained.

"That makes sense then" He stated, more to himself. Kaitlyn was just about to ask him what Greasers and Socs were, but was interrupted by a police siren. She heard Dallas swear from the seat next to her. He looked to her with expectant eyes. "No, I am not going to try and outrun the cops!" She told him firmly.

"Then what do we do?" Dallas demanded as she pulled over. Kaitlyn watched the cop from her rearview mirror. She didn't really know what to do. Her mind was racing. She didn't know this kid, but she still didn't want him to get into trouble. She saw the cop reach in his floor to pick up something he dropped. "Dallas, did the cops see you?" She whispered. He shook his head no. He turned his head to face her and she punched him hard right in the nose. "_Ow_! What was that for?" He yelled. She turned her face to his, a determined look in her eyes. "Just act really sick." She instructed him.

The policeman walked to her window. "Good evening ma'am. We're looking for a boy who robbed a store not too far from here. Have you seen him? He's got blonde hair….Like that kid's hair!" The cop said, his hands moving for his cuffs.

"Sir no!" She cried. "This is just my friend. He's fallen, and I think he got a concussion. I'm trying to get him to the hospital." As if on cue Dallas turned his head to look at the cop, his nose bleeding from the hit Kaitlyn gave him earlier. "Wow, he doesn't look too good. Well, go on, but don't drive too fast now. "He told her kindly. She nodded yes and smiled at the policeman before driving off. She took a right turn and traveled down a dirt road she had noticed when her family had arrived yesterday.

She drove a little ways down the road and stopped. She turned to him and yelled. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" She pulled a green jacket from the back of her car and held it to his bleeding nose. "It's fine, I've had worse." He told her, not lying. He took the jacket from her hands, and their hands brushed for a moment. He noticed her hands were very soft, and she that his were rough. "Thanks." He mumbled. She smiled and began to fidget nervously with her fingers. "So what, exactly, are Socs and Greasers?" She asked curiously.

"Well," He started, but had to pause to think "A Greaser, I guess, is someone with long, greased, and tuff hair, leather jackets, and a bad rep. Like me. We're all dirt poor and most of us are hoods. I'm a Greaser because I'm tough and me and the cops don't always get along."

"But a Soc is a kid with fancy cars and clothes. They're all really fake, and cold, and spoiled brats. They live in these fancy neighborhoods, like this one. So I guess you'll be a Soc." He explained.

Kaitlyn sat still for a moment, looking off in thought. "I am not, nor will I ever be a 'Soc', ok." She replied. "I'm not fancy, or fake, or spoiled. We just happened to find a house in this area that was big enough for my family." She looked over at Dallas now. "I'm no Soc, though I guess I'm not a Greaser either." He smiled at her, genuinely surprised. "Well that's…Nice." He replied. They sat in silence for a few awkward minutes as Dallas waited for his nose to stop bleeding.

"Here." He said after a while, handing her the bloody jacket with a bored look on his face. She took it gingerly, careful not to touch any of the blood that now caked the once-green fabric. . "Thanks." He said. He reached for the handle on the door to leave. "I'll see you around then?" Kaitlyn asked. He smiled for a second and replied, "Not likely," as he climbed out of her car and started to jog off down the road. Kaitlyn through the bloody jacket into the passenger seat and just sat in her car for a moment, replaying the last ten or so minutes. She shook her head and drove back down the road, not seeing Dallas anywhere.

She went home and snuck the jacket into the washer, then went to her room. She picked up her phone and dialed her older sister's number. "Laura." She said when her sister picked up. "I met one of the cutest looking boys today and punched him in the face."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

It had been three days since Kaitlyn's run in with Dallas Winston, and, like he had told her, she had not seen him again. She was standing in front of her mirror in her bathroom. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in rollers. She had just finished brushing her teeth and her mouth felt nice and fresh. She was getting ready for a day out with two girls that lived next by, Sandra and Tammy. Though Kaitlyn wanted to stay and help unpack, her mother had insisted she go out with her friends instead. She padded bare foot back to her bedroom and opened her closet. "Hm…" she contemplated her choices and ended up choosing a yellow and black stripped dress that came right above her knees. She slipped it on over her head and gave a twirl. The dress fanned out around her, causing her to smile. Then she made her way back to the bathroom and removed the rollers in her hair. It fell down around her shoulders and framed her face. Now that she was dressed, Kaitlyn slipped on a pair of black and yellow saddle back shoes and headed outside.

Once outside, Kaitlyn found Tammy and Sandra already waiting beside her car. She smiled at them as she made her way across the lawn. "Oh well, don't you just look like a doll!" cooed Tammy, taking in Kaitlyn's outfit. Kaitlyn smiled in thanks. Tammy had her long black hair pushed back with a bright green headband that matched her dress. "Hi Sandra." Kaitlyn greeted her other friend. Sandra had a pixie cut hair style that let her dark blonde hair fall over her eyes. She waved at Kaitlyn and they all piled into Kaitlyn's car.

Tammy climbed into the passenger seat, only to jump out again. "Grody! Is this...Blood!" She exclaimed. Kaitlyn turned around in her seat and picked up a different jacket that just so happened to be in her car then sat it on the seat so that Tammy could climb in. She did, though reluctant. "So tell me," Tammy started as Kaitlyn pulled out of the drive way. "Why is there blood in your car?"

"Ah, it's a long story." Kaitlyn said embarrassedly.

"We have time." Sandra quietly pointed out from the back seat. Kaitlyn sighed deeply then proceeded to tell them all about what happened, from Dallas climbing in her car, to the police man, to punching his face, and helping him with his nose bleed. The other two girls sat and listened with horrified faces. "I can't believe you let that _Greaser_ in your car!" Tammy almost spat. Kaitlyn looked awkwardly out the window. "I don't know, he needed help and-"

"Look, Kaitlyn, kids like them and kids like us don't get along, it's just a fact of life. You shouldn't make yourself too familiar with them if you want to be accepted around here." Tammy explained.

"She's right." Sandra agreed.

Kaitlyn just sighed and shook her head. She saw no reason why Dallas Winston and she could not be friends. They made it into town and then stopped at a few little shops, picking up some new clothes and shoes. After shopping, they went to a little restaurant where they all ordered a vanilla ice cream cone. They found a booth and sat down together. "Hey, do you guys know of any good book stores around here" Kaitlyn asked casually between licks on her ice cream cone.

"I know of one, but it's on the other side of town. We try to avoid going there." Sandra told her, wiping some ice cream off her chin with a napkin. Kaitlyn looked down disappointed. "But, we'll go if you really want to, right Tammy?" Sandra said, not asked. Tammy rolled her eyes unhappily. "Fine." She said. Kaitlyn smiled and finished off her ice cream.

When they were all finished eating, they all piled back into the car and set off. The North side of town was a lot different from the Southside. The houses were for the most part rundown and dirty. They finally arrived at the book store and headed in. Though the selection was small, it was still good enough for Kaitlyn. She headed over for the far right wall which was stacked to the top with books, while Tammy and Sandra checked out the magazine rack on the other side of the store.

Kaitlyn heard the bell over the door ring as someone else came in the store, but she didn't bother to look. She heard the other person shuffle over towards the same wall that she was on. She threw a casual glance towards the stranger only to realize that it wasn't a stranger. She smiled and moved sideways in a slow, unsuspicious manner until she bumped into the stranger. "Hey, watch it!" He snapped, his blue eyes blazing. "Hello Dallas." She smiled up at him. He looked at her for a few moments then his eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, you're Kaitlyn right?" He asked.

"Aw, I thought I'd be more memorable than that." She sighed in mock disappointment. Dallas chuckled at that. "So what are you doing here, you don't look like the reading type to me." He turned and glanced at the cashier. "Hey, you think you could help me out again?" He asked her quietly.

Kaitlyn furrowed her brow. "I dunno what do you need?" She asked.

"I was uh, thinking of hitting off this store here, but I need a getaway driver." He told her with a smirk across his face.

"Dallas I can't." She told him plainly. His smirk faded away and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I see, just as I thought, you think you're too good for me don't you!" He accused, though his face betrayed no actual emotions.

"No!" Kaitlyn said. "I just don't want to risk getting caught. Unlike you I have a clean track record." She explained to him. He seemed to understand because he dropped the topic. He stole a quick look around the store before turning back to Kaitlyn. "Wanna get out of here?" He suddenly asked her looking very excited. She looked at him and sighed. "Dallas. I'm here with my friends."

"Oh, so you're too ashamed to be seen with me is that it?" He asked sharply.

"No." Kaitlyn exhaled sharply. "Look, they told me not to talk to you, but I still am, so obviously I don't care. It's just I can't ditch them. I'm their ride home anyways." She explained to him. He looked at her and smirked. "Then just make something up." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kaitlyn didn't know what it was, but something seemed to be propelling her to do it, go on some wild adventure with Dallas. She sighed and grabbed a random book off the shelf. Dallas turned back to the shelf, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Hey guys. I am so sorry, but I just remembered something really important that I have to do and I've got to leave right now." Tammy's and Sandra's heads both snapped up.

"And leave us stranded here on the Northside of town!" Tammy squeaked. Kaitlyn put on her best distraught looking face. "I know!" She suddenly exclaimed, sticking a finger in the air. "You guys take the car. I'll get a ride, don't worry." They gave her an apprehensive look. After arguing about it for a few more minutes, the other two girls finally agreed. "Ok," Kaitlyn told them. "You guys go on; I'm going to by this book. Her friends waved and walked out of the book store, still looking worried.

Kaitlyn walked back over to Dallas who hadn't moved at all. He smiled at her, his ice blue eyes showing through his white blond hair. That's when Kaitlyn first noticed that his eyes were cold, like they retained a hate for the whole world. She realized that she was starring and looked away sheepishly. Dallas just snickered and walked away. Kaitlyn put the book back in place and followed him out the door. She heard the cashier sigh in relief as they excited.

Once outside the sun hit Kaitlyn's eyes and momentarily blinded her. She huffed in annoyance. She looked around and saw that Dallas was already walking off in the other direction. "Hey, wait for me!" She called, having to sprint to catch him. She walked alongside him, getting a few glances of confusion or suspicion as she went. She tried multiple times to get a conversation going with Dallas, but he seemed to have lost all interest in her. Soon enough she gave up and crossed her arms, walking stiffly beside him. Why had she lied to her friends, so she could be ignored? She had just started contemplating whether or not to leave, when another young man stepped out in front of Dallas, staring him down. He had curly black hair that was greased back to his head. His smile was cold and lacking actually happiness, reminding her of Dallas. He had a long scar on his face and a crooked looking nose. But the way that his dark blue eyes bore into Dallas, and the way that they looked so hungry, was a little unnerving. "Hello Dallas." He almost purred in a menacing tone. At least, Kaitlyn thought it was menacing. Dallas however hadn't moved a muscle.

"Hello Tim." Dallas replied, his own cold leer creeping onto his face. The other boy's eyes flashed with hatred.

"Someone has slashed the tires on my car _again_. You wouldn't happen to know who might have done that, do you?" He asked, evidently knowing that Dallas had done it. But Dallas didn't show the least bit of concern.

"Nope, sorry Tim." He replied, looking Tim straight in his malevolent eyes, returning a cold, hostile look himself.

Tim tensed up. "You know, I'm pretty sure I do know." He stated crossly, taking a step towards Dallas. Dallas' smile hadn't faded, but he asked in a serious tone, "Hey man wouldn't want to start a scuffle in front of the lady now would we?" His smirk still spread across his elfish face. Tim sneered angrily. "Like I care if that broad is here or not." Kaitlyn's eyes snapped to Tim's.

"Who are you calling a broad! " She demanded. But he didn't have time to respond because Dallas had spun on his heels and taken off running in the other direction, grabbing Kaitlyn's wrist and dragging her with him. She struggled to keep up with him, and could hear Tim close behind. She was certain that Tim would catch them, but Dallas suddenly ran into a shop, dashed through some shelves, then burst out the back door, all the while dragging Kaitlyn with him.

They finally stopped at a little gas station on the complete opposite side of the town and Dallas released his grip on Kaitlyn's wrist. She hadn't noticed how solid his grip was until he had let go, leaving a dark red hand print on her wrist. She rubbed it gingerly when she heard a voice from behind her. "Hey Dally." The voice called. She turned, expecting more trouble and not wanting to run anymore. But she saw that Dallas, though still panting really hard, was smiling in a more friendly way. "Hey Soda." Dallas called back. A boy strutted over from inside the gas station, million dollar smile stretched across his face. He was astoundingly handsome, with dark brown hair and eyes to match. He had a kind, sensitive looking face, and he approached them still smiling.

"Who's your new friend, eh Dal?" He asked, grinning sideways at the pair. Dallas continued to pant, his hands on his knees.

"Talk later, need water." He panted, pointing towards Kaitlyn, indicating that he wanted water for her too. Kaitlyn was also exhausted and was not about to pass on water. The boy smiled and shrugged. "I'm Sodapop, by the way." He said as he walked away. "Kaitlyn." She replied still breathlessness. Dallas straightened up and sighed an aggravated sigh. "That was supposed to work." He complained. Kaitlyn eyed him curiously, but he seemed to have forgotten her presence once again. "Tim was supposed to see that I was with a girl and back off. I couldn't have fought him today! My rib still hurts from yesterday!" He told himself angrily.

Kaitlyn straightened herself now as Sodapop was walking back towards them. "You used me?" She asked, feeling stunned. He looked at her and smiled

"Why would you think that?" He asked innocently, though not convincingly.

"Because you didn't want to fight that guy today. That's the only reason you wanted me to come with you! You had me lie to my friends, all for nothing!" She shouted. Sodapop reached them and held out the waters. "Thank you Sodapop." She said fuming and grabbing the water before turning and walking away.

Dallas didn't seem to care though. Sodapop shook his head at his friend, "Man, when 'er you gonna learn you can't just play people all the time?" He asked. Dallas just shrugged. "Hey where's Steve at?" He asked casually

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn was walking heatedly, causing the dust on the ground to stir around her feet. She had drunk the water quickly and was now regretting it. It was still hot and she had a long way to go. She was still furious. He didn't want to hang out with her; he probably didn't even like her. She turned another corner and hoped that she was going the right way.

As she walked, she heard music blaring behind her. A bright red corvette pulled up beside her. She heard some boys' voices shouting and the music went off. She looked behind her to see four boys climbing out of their car and walking towards her. She groaned annoyed and started walking again, but they were faster and before she knew it they had her surrounded.

"Long ways from home aren't we?" One with brown, curly hair asked her, obviously drunk.

"Not like that's any of _your_ business." She replied bitterly.

"Ah come on doll, whatsa girl like you doin' in greaser land?" One with thick black hair that clung to his head slurred.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes impatiently. "Look, I really have to get home so if you could just let me-"

"Aw come on. Dontcha jus' wanna have some fun first?" The brown head asked her.

"Not really." She replied severely. But the drunken group didn't seem to care about her opinion. The black haired one grabbed her wrist. "Stop!" She cried desperately. They pushed her down and she closed her eyes as she hit the ground with a thud. Kaitlyn was thrashing and punching, but all their weight was too much for her. She squeezed her eyes tightly, too afraid to scream, and was about to just give up fighting when a hot liquid sprayed across her face and she felt their weight leave her. She scrambled to her feet and opened her eyes. She saw the black haired boy clutching his face, blood oozing from between his fingers.

"You'll pay for that greaser!" He screeched.

And Kaitlyn heard a familiar voice behind her respond, "Fat chance man."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Kaitlyn wheeled around and saw Dallas standing behind her, his fists clenched tightly at his side, one with blood on it from where he'd punched the black haired boy in the face. Dallas was bleeding too; one of the boys had struck him as they were climbing off Kaitlyn. "I suggest you all leave." He told them, boldly raising his fists back up.

The brown haired boy laughed. "You can't take us all greaser!" He spluttered wavering on his feet.

"That may be true, but he's not alone." Said an unfamiliar voice from behind Dallas. Three other people stepped out. The biggest, and the one who the voice must have come from, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, muscles bulging under his t-shirt. She recognized Sodapop standing next to him. He smiled at her and she waved a little. Standing a little bit behind the biggest boy was a smaller boy with brown hair that was so light it was almost red. The resemblance between the three was obvious; it was easy to tell that they were brothers.

The other boys, though seeming slightly nervous, stood their ground. "Now it's and even fight!" One of them cried.

"Not likely" answered another voice, a boy with rust colored hair and huge grin spread across his face. With him was another boy. He had thick dark hair and was tall and lean. From behind them emerged yet another boy. He was very small and had long black hair that fell over his forehead. His eyes were large and anxious. She noticed a scar going from his temple down to his cheekbone.

The other boys looked to each other for a few seconds then tore off toward their car, stumbling over each other, and bolted down the road. The boys that were with Dallas looked vaguely disappointed, as if they wanted the fight. Kaitlyn pulled off a jacket that she had bought while shopping and sighed, wishing she hadn't put it on. "You must really love ruining my jackets." She said as she walked up to Dallas and pressed it to his nose. She could hear him snort through the jacket.

"Guys, you'll have to introduce yourselves." He said, taking the jacket from Kaitlyn's hands.

The first to walk up to her was the biggest. He was obviously older than the rest. He reached out his hand and she shook it. "My name is Darrel, Darrel Curtis. Nice to meet you." He said abruptly before turning away. Sodapop then walked up to her and winked. "Sure is nice to see you again." He said flashing that marvelous smile of his before joining Darrel.

The next person to walk up to her was the other boy that was with them. "Hi, I'm Ponyboy." He said smiling faintly at her.  
"Ponyboy? That's and interesting name." She replied.  
"Um. You've got a little….Blood. On your face." He told her timidly.  
"Oh, thanks." She said, wiping it off. He smiled and walked over to Sodapop who cuffed him playfully around the neck. She looked at herself and realized that blood wasn't just on her face, but was also splattered all over her yellow dress. "I'm going to have a hard time explaining this to mom." She muttered to herself.

The other two boys walked up to her and introduced themselves as Two Bit and Steve and, though neither seemed to have much to say, Two Bit had a giant smile spread across his face. Last the hesitant looking one walked bashfully toward her. "I'm uh, I'm Jonny Cade." He said softly, linking his fingers in front of him. Kaitlyn smiled down at him. "Nice to meet you kid, I'm Kaitlyn." She told him. He seemed almost afraid of her. She smiled kindheartedly and he returned and apprehensive one himself before striding to stand next to Ponyboy.

Dallas walked over to her and tried to hand her the jacket, but she turned to him and pushed it away. "You can keep it." She said dejectedly, not wanting the bloody thing. He looked her over, taking in the blood caked onto her clothes, as well as her arms and neck. "We need to get you cleaned up. Can't let you go home looking like that." He told her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the others. "Hey Darry," He called. "Think we could go back to your place and get her cleaned up?" He asked, smiling his cheerless smile. Darrel sighed but shook his head in agreement.

"All right then." Dallas declared and set off in the opposite direction, his arm still wrapped around Kaitlyn's shoulders. The rest of his friends followed behind chitchatting cheerily. The band got a few strange looks, mainly directed towards Kaitlyn. But Dallas marched on beside her, holding her against his side with his arm, her bloody jacket draped over his opposite shoulder. Kaitlyn was looking at the ground as she walked, turning the last few minutes over in her head. "What's with you?" Dallas asked, looking at her sideways.

"Well, it's just…How did you manage to find me?"

"Well after you stormed away in anger, I set off myself and ended up where you were, saw what was going down, then went to go get the gang." He explained.

"Oh." She said sullenly, still looking down.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said quietly.

"What?" He probed.

"It's just that, well. I was sort of hoping you were looking for me. I guess to apologize or something." She told him, feeling slightly childish.

"Oh, well I guess you could say that too." He said unconvincingly. Kaitlyn just kept on gazing downward. "I'm sorry." He told her.

"Ok." She replied, though still not entirely convinced. It was getting hotter and hotter as they walked, and she really wished she had some more water. The blood on her skin felt sticky and was starting to dry. They came around a corner and approached a small house. It was a little bit rundown, but seemed nice enough. Darrel lead the way through a gate and up to the door. They all filed in and took up most of the living room.

"Right," Darrel clapped his hands together "Ponyboy, since you're the smallest, give her something of yours to wear, alright?" Darrel instructed.

"Yeah, alright." Ponyboy replied distantly. He turned to Kaitlyn and motioned for her to follow him. "This way." He turned off down the hallway. Kaitlyn followed behind him and was led into a small room with one big bed. Ponyboy was digging through his closet. Kaitlyn looked around the room leisurely. She noticed a book on the dresser and could read the author; Robert Frost. She turned back to Ponyboy who was staring at her spitefully. She looked at him uneasily. He finally spoke.

"I know it's not as nice as_ you're_ used to." He accused.

"No, I think it's homey." She said. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Why are you here?" he questioned.

"I don't even know, today has been so crazy." She replied deftly.

"No. I mean why are you with us? We're Greasers you know." He told her.

"Oh, yeah I know. But why does that mean I can't hang out with you guys?" She inquired. This question seemed to stump him and he shoved some clothes at her.

"They may be a little too big, but they should work." He said as she took the pile from his hands.

"Thanks." She said a genuinely kind smile on her face. He shrugged and led her back towards the living room. "There's the bathroom." He said pointing to another door. She let herself in and closed the door. She stood there in front of the mirror gawking at her reflection for a while. Her hair was tousled and her face and neck were covered in blood, as were her arms.

She undressed herself awkwardly and turned on the tap over the sink. She scrubbed her arms vigorously and then her face and neck. Soon enough all the blood was gone, but her skin was bright red from all of the scrubbing. She slipped into the jeans that Ponyboy had given her. They were rather baggy on her, and she was relieved to see that he had included a belt, which she tightened as much as possible. Then she slipped a medium purple colored shirt that hung off of her.

She sighed and gathered her things before opening the door shyly. She saw the gang all sitting around the living room. A couple of them drinking beers and some smoking cigarettes. Dallas looked up and smiled. "Looking good Kaitlyn." He called, prompting everyone else to turn their attention to her. She sighed. "I've looked better."

"Here" Sodapop said, tossing a plastic bag to her. "You can put your dress in there." He told her.

"Thanks." She told him, dropping her bloodstained dress into the bag and tying it. She stood there awkwardly, not really sure what to do. "Come sit down." Sodapop patted the seat next to him on the couch. She warily walked over and sat down, placing the bag on the floor next to her. Sodapop was sitting with his hands behind his head and his feet stretched out in front of him, which almost tripped Darrel as he came into the room carrying a plate. He handed it to Kaitlyn who took it gingerly. "You looked like you could use something to eat." He told her. She smiled and nodded in thanks. She looked down at the plate and saw a large chunk of chocolate cake. Her mouth began to water and she dug in with the fork Darrel had put on the plate.

At first it was hard to get a conversation going. Kaitlyn could tell that aside from Dallas, everyone was finding it hard to talk to her. She knew that they must have all though that she was a Soc, and they must have assumed that she would behave like a normal Soc. But they soon found out that Kaitlyn was no Soc. She talked to them like normal people, laughed at their jokes and threw in her own. She didn't turn her nose up in disgust at them if they came near her. But she was definitely not the kind of girl they were used to. The girls with way to much eye makeup, really short dresses, and foul mouths. It was a pleasant surprise to them all.

Kaitlyn was easy to talk to, and very funny. They all enjoyed listening to her funny stories. After a while, even Johnny came around, which was a big surprise to the boys. Johnny had been afraid of strangers for a while, ever since he was jumped and beaten nearly to death by some Socs, the same ones that gave him his scar. Kaitlyn had picked up on his tentativeness and took it easy on him, trying not to bother him. She was surprised to learn that he was older than Ponyboy. He was so small that she could have sworn he was the youngest.

After talking for what felt like forever, Kaitlyn glanced at a clock hanging on the wall and realized it was after nine thirty. "Oh no! I'm sorry guys, but I've got to go home." They all groaned in objection. She still had her plate, but wasn't sure what to do with it. "I'll take it for you." Two Bit told her as he was already on his way to the kitchen for another drink. She smiled and handed him the plate. "Well, guess I'll be seeing you guys later." She said which surprised them still.

"I'll make sure you get back in one piece." Dallas volunteered. Kaitlyn shrugged in compliance and told everyone goodbye cheerily and heading out the door, Dallas close behind her. They walked in silence for a few moments in the dark. Dallas finally broke the silence. "So, how'd you like the guys?" He asked.

"They were nice." She replied. She had sincerely enjoyed their company.

"So, who'd you like the best?" He pressed. "Bet it was Soda, you're probably taken with him, bet you thing he's cute huh?"

Kaitlyn sighed in annoyance, not sure why he was asking this question. "Why do you care? Like I'd tell you who I though was cute anyways."

"So you think one of us is cute?"

"All right wise guy." She started but couldn't come up with a good opposition so she just dropped it. They walked in quiet for a little while longer.

"But seriously-"He started.

"Oh my god, Dallas, why do you want to know so badly?" She barked.

"No reason." He said quietly. Kaitlyn ran a hand through her wild hair. If he was trying to confuse her, he was doing a superior job at it. A cold late summer wind sliced through her, causing her to shiver. "Man, I wish I had a jacket or something to give you, you've got to be freezing." Dallas observed.

"Yeah, you and me both." Kaitlyn Breathed, her teeth now chattering. All of the sudden, Dallas was wrapping his arms around Kaitlyn. She was surprised to find that he was very warm. "Better?" He asked. "Mhm." She murmured. They walked like that all the way to Kaitlyn's neighborhood, where Dallas released her and she led the way to her house.

She saw that her mother was home, but her father must've been out. Which was good, if he would have seen Kaitlyn with a boy he would have probably blown a fuse. She walked up to her door with Dallas right behind her. They stopped just outside and Kaitlyn turned to Dallas, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Looks like you made it in one piece, my job is done." He declared.

"Yes and thank you." She told him. "Be careful getting yourself back, Ok."  
"Don't worry I will be." He said.

They stood still for a few lengthy moments, just looking at each other. "Well, bye." Dallas said, and he started to turn away but stopped. He moved closer to Kaitlyn and kissed her delicately on the cheek, then turned and left, leaving Kaitlyn to stare after him, wide eyed. After he was out of sight, she reached up and touched her cheek lightly. Before sighing and turning to go into her house.

She was greeted by the one voice she most did not want to hear at the moment. "You're late getting back." Her mother voiced from the living room.

"Yeah, sorry I was with my friends." Kaitlyn replied, trying to get to her room before her mother could ask too many questions, but was instantly defeated.

"Now wait." He mother came from the living room and out to the hallway. She had to do a double take on Kaitlyn to be sure that she was really looking at her daughter. "Explain." She stated plainly.

"I fell and got a bad nosebleed, had to throw away that pretty yellow dress", which she had trashed in a dumpster after leaving the Curtis' house. "One of my friends had some of her younger brother's clothes in her car and let me borrow them." Kaitlyn hated to lie to her mother like this, but she didn't want to be grounded for life, and her story was half true at least. He mother nodded understandingly. "Oh alright, but hurry on to bed." She instructed. Kaitlyn nodded in agreement.

She walked to her bedroom and closed the door. She didn't even bother getting undressed. She just fell over onto her bed and closed her eyes tightly. She tried to replay the whole day, so much had happened. But the ending had her most preoccupied. Why had he kissed her? He didn't like her did he? Was that why he was so keen on knowing which of the gang she liked? She pondered these questions for over half an hour before she fell asleep, still wearing Ponyboy's clothes.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Two days after her last encounter with Dallas Winston, Kaitlyn found herself walking the streets hoping to find him. She had Ponyboy's clothes in a bag and planned on giving them to Dallas. She'd been walking for hours now, eager to run into him somewhere. She turned another corner and saw a familiar red Corvette. She muttered under her breath and turned away, walking as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She hoped they hadn't seen her, but the voices and slammed car doors told her they had. She decided that her only hope was to outrun them.

She hustled off as fast as possible, but she could still hear them behind her. She pelted down the street, fear surging through her veins. Street after street they chased her, not willing to give up. She tore around another corner and smacked face first into someone's chest. She looked up to apologize and run on, but saw a familiar elfish face staring down at her through ice blue eyes. "Dallas!" She exclaimed, hugging him around his waist gratefully.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, pushing her back by her shoulders to look at her face. But Kaitlyn didn't have time to answer because the boys from earlier had caught up with her. "You." The one with black hair hissed, glaring at Dallas, his nose still wrapped in a bandage where Dallas must have broken it. But Dallas ignored the malicious eyes of the other boy. "Hey Nosebleed." He called to them. "Why don't you get out of here?" The others seemed taken aback but didn't leave. Dallas pushed Kaitlyn behind him and raised his fists defensively. "Are your friends with you this time Greaser?" The one with the curly brown hair cried. Dallas didn't respond, but he narrowed his eyes.

"He's alone then?" A red headed boy who was standing in the back remarked.

The black haired one smiled a satisfied smile. "Let's pound this Greaser then." They all charged at Dallas who thrust Kaitlyn out of the way. They punched, but Dallas managed to narrowly avoid most of their blows. Then the brown headed boy dropped to his knees and seized Dallas by the ankles and gave one sharp wrench, jerking Dallas onto the ground. They all began to kick him where ever their feet could get at.

Kaitlyn meanwhile while, was standing a couple feet back, watching in terror. She glimpsed one of the boys' feet make contact with Dallas' stomach, causing Dallas to cough up a small amount of blood. That was enough for Kaitlyn. "Stop it!" She shrieked, running at the group. She jumped on to one of their arms and tried to pull them away so she could get to Dallas. "Get off me!" The owner of the arm demanded, throwing her backwards. She stumbled and struck her head hard on the wall, causing a jolt of pain to charge through her head and she slumped, unconscious, onto the ground.

"No!" Dallas yelled. He caught one of the boys by the leg and jerked him down, climbed over him and pummeled him in the head, then turned to the next closest guy and clobbered him until he was also on the ground. Dallas climbed shakily to his feet and charged at the brown haired boy they exchanged a few blows, but Dallas managed to whack him in the side of the head. He turned to the black haired boy who was helping up one of his friends. "I said get out of here!" Dallas spat though the blood welling in his mouth. This time they listened and ran off, toppling over each other repeatedly.

Dallas rushed to Kaitlyn who was still slouched against the wall. "Hey, Kaitlyn wake up!" He said. But she didn't move. "Hey!" He slapped her face lightly a couple of time, but nothing happened. Dallas stared at her bewilderedly. "Come on!" He roared, punching the brick wall behind Kaitlyn. "Help! Can someone here help me?" He yelled. But there was no one around to hear his pleas. So he picked Kaitlyn carefully and started walking, heading towards the hospital on the other side of town.

Dallas sat in a chair in a hospital room next to Kaitlyn, his face buried in his hands. "Are you sure you don't want to see the doctor?" The nurse asked for about the tenth time. Dallas lifted his head from his hands and looked at her. "Yeah I'm sure." He had already let her bandage up his ribs, which were extremely tender. "Ok." She said and she walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Dallas huffed and put his hands back in over his face and ran the up through his hair. Kaitlyn was still unconscious, and though the doctor had assured him it was merely a concussion, he was still concerned. He heard the door open and looked up, expecting the nurse again. But instead two people came through the door and stopped in their tracks, staring at him harshly.

"Who are you?" Demanded a woman with short black hair and a severe face. Dallas tried to answer but was cut off by a tall man with short black hair and a grey hat. "Doesn't matter who he is, why are you here with our daughter?" The man asked angrily. The nurse came back in the room and stepped in front of the people who were obviously Kaitlyn's parents. "Sir, please calm down, this boy saved your daughter, and took a beating for it too." The nurse eyed him suspiciously- Dallas knew that she was surprised he had done this seeing as he was a Greaser- but she continued on. "Now if you'll come with me quickly, I have some paper work you need to fill out." She told them. They analyzed Dallas and saw the bandages wrapped around him that didn't cover all of the already bruising skin. Even though they still seemed skeptical, they followed the nurse out of the room uneasily.

Dallas sat back in the seat and closed his eyes, this had all became such a mess. He ran his hands through his matted hair. He heard a light groan come from the bed and sat up quickly, looking at Kaitlyn. Her eyes were opened, but barely. She moaned again. He took her hand in his. "Kaitlyn? It's me, Dallas." He said soothingly.

"Dallas?" She mumbled.

"Yeah, you're alright."

"The jacket." She murmured.

"What?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"My jacket. Is it ruined?" She explained.

"Oh, I'd say so, it got all bloody."

"Of course, you know we're starting to make that a habit, running my jackets." She muttered.

Dallas sniggered. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Kaitlyn smiled ruefully. Dallas heard footsteps outside the door. "Sounds like your parents are coming back, I should go, and I'll try and come see you tomorrow." He stood up and let go of her hand, but she kept her grip on his. "What?" He asked. She looked up at him expectantly, her eyebrows raised. "Oh alright." He said in faked agitation. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek again and she smiled gleefully, though still seeming slightly out of it.

The day passed slowly but eventually the next rolled around. Dallas opened the door to Kaitlyn's room carefully. The nurse had promised him that her parents were not in there, but he was still apprehensive. He walked in and was relieved to see that the nurse was right and Kaitlyn was alone, though clearly bored. She had a book in her lap, but wasn't looking at it. "Hey!" she exclaimed happily when she noticed him. She closed the book and sat it in the little bedside table next to her. He smiled back at her, but didn't come any closer and kept throwing sideways glances at the door. "My parents won't be here until late today if that's what you're worried about." She told him. He sighed in relief and walked towards the hard chair that had been moved to the corner. "Wait!" Kaitlyn instructed. Dallas turned to face her and she was scooting herself over on her bed. She patted the space next to her. "Wouldn't want you sitting in that hard old chair." She told him. He smiled and climbed onto the hospital bed next to her. The bed was pretty small and they had to sit close together.

"So how long until you get out of here?" He asked.

"The Doctor said a couple of days. Even though it's just a concussion, he wants to check my noggin for head trauma." She said, knocking on her head and flinching from the pain.

"You may have head trauma if you say noggin." Dallas joked gloomily.

"And your problem is?" she asked.

"It's nothing." He replied quietly.

She cocked her head to the side. "Whatever. You can tell me, promise." She smiled encouragingly.

Dallas sighed. "It's just, I feel like this is all my fault." He started but dropped off.

"How would it be your fault?" She asked, her brow furrowed. "If it's anyone's fault it's mine for walking around on my own."

Dallas shook his head. "I only I'd have been walking faster, or I could have took you and ran away, or if I wouldn't have gotten tripped!"

"Dallas! Stop right there. "None of that is your fault! You couldn't have helped any of that."

He looked at Kaitlyn sideways. "I'm sure there was something I could've done so you at least wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Dallas, remember when we first met? I punched you in the face. I'm tempted to do it again right now." He just shook his head again. "Look," she said taking his hands. "None of it is your fault, why are you trying to blame yourself so much?"

"I don't know." He sighed.

"Look at me." Kaitlyn instructed and he turned his hard blue eyes to her gentle brown ones. But she didn't say anything. They just stared at each other for a while. Dallas looked at her intensely. He leaned in towards her slowly, but Kaitlyn put her hand on his chest to stop him as their foreheads touched. "Dallas, I don't know." She said gently.

"It's ok." He said.

Outside of the room in the reception area a group of five boys was pestering the nurse. "But you gotta let us in; she'll want to see us!" Two bit complained from the front of the group.

"I'm sorry boys, but we can't let this many people in there at once." She told them again.

"Fine!" Two bit huffed and walked away. The others followed him, but he stopped when they were out of sight of the nurse. "Alright, we need a distraction, Sodapop, you do it."

"Why me?" Sodapop complained.

"Because, pretty boy, you fit the part. Go smile at her or something." Two bit instructed.

"Ok." Sodapop agreed unhappily. He walked back out to the nurses' station. "Hey there." He said, flashing his smile at the young nurse.

"Oh, hello." She replied smiling back at him.

Sodapop took a quick second to think then pretended to trip, knocking a whole cup full of pens into the floor behind the counter. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, let me help you." He climbed behind the counter and helped the woman pick up the pens. Meanwhile, the rest of the boys were running silently across the room and into the next hall where the rooms were. Soda and the woman finally picked up all the pens and she let him by no questions asked.

As soon as he walked through the doors he was cuffed lightly around the neck. "Nice work man!" Steve told him.

"Get off me Steve." Sodapop muttered, playfully punching Steve on the shoulder.

They all followed Two bit to the room that Dallas told them was Kaitlyn's. Without even knocking, they all just piled into the room only to see Dallas and Kaitlyn sitting on the bed, their lips hovering only an inch apart. Two bit cleared his throat loudly and Kaitlyn and Dallas both jumped. Kaitlyn began to blush furiously and Dallas rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

Lucky for Dallas and Kaitlyn, no one bothered them too much on what they had seen upon entering. Kaitlyn wasn't sure how she felt about Dallas. She liked him, but she didn't know exactly how she felt, or what she wanted. Dallas was in the same position. He had been with tons of girls, but he never really cared that much for them. But with Kaitlyn, he actually valued her. He didn't know why, but it almost scared him because he had never truly cared about anyone outside of the gang.

They sat around talking happily for hours, laughing and playing. Dallas stayed on the bed, and Kaitlyn pulled her feet up so that Ponyboy and Two bit could sit on the end. Soda and Steve stood together next to the bed and Johnny sat in the chair. "Why don't you come join the party Johnny-cakes?" Dallas had asked at one point, but Johnny didn't seem too interested in being in the middle of all that, but he joined in the conversation from his chair in the corner.

They lost track of time and Kaitlyn's mother got a big shock when she entered the room to find six boys all crowded around the bed. Though she didn't seem as shocked as the nurse when she followed. "I thought I said you couldn't all come in here!" She barked. They all got up and left, mumbling angrily as they passed the nurse. The all waved and surprisingly, Johnny turned and said, "Bye." Her mother gave her a big lecture that she fell asleep in the middle of. She dreamed of Dallas, and the gang, and the adventurous future they were sure to have.

A/N. I'm going to have to, once again, thank foxface15. She's helped me with this story so much and constantly encourages me to keep writing!


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Dallas was sitting at the table in the Curtis' house. He was eating a plate of eggs and talking to Two bit and Ponyboy enthusiastically. "And then I pounded that Soc!" He exclaimed slamming his fist on the table shifting his eggs. Two bit looked up from his food. "That's nice man."

"Yeah, he got so frosted!" Dallas boasted happily, stabbing his eggs and taking a mouthful.

"Hey, isn't Kaitlyn supposed to get out of the hospital today." Two bit asked, stealing a bite of chocolate cake from Ponyboy's plate, who smacked his hand away, an agitated look on his face.

"Mhm." Dallas mumbled through his mouthful of food.

"What time?" Two bit questioned.

"I don't know, in about an hour."

"Aren't you going to go see her off?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Thought you guys were friends or something. Aren't you?"

"Geez, are you writing a book?" Dallas snapped up aggravated.

"Just wondering, man, yeesh." Two bit stood up and walked away heatedly into the living room. Ponyboy eyed Dallas curiously.

"What?" Dallas demanded.

"I thought you _did _like Kaitlyn." Ponyboy answered carefully.

"She's alright I guess." Dallas replied uninterestedly.

"No, I mean _liked _her." Ponyboy clarified. Dallas choked on the eggs he was eating. After finally coughing up the eggs, he looked at Ponyboy.

"Why would you think that?" He asked smoothly.

"Well, you looked like you were about to kiss her." Ponyboy stated.

"What? Naw." Dallas said quickly.

Ponyboy looked down at his half eaten cake. He took another bite and sighed. "Dallas, if you don't like her, why are you being so nice to her?" He asked delicately, moving his food around with his fork.

"Oh, I dunno. Moment of weakness I guess, don't get used to it. She saved me from going back to jail, so I guess I owed her, and I don't like owing people, so I made it up to her." Dallas replied nonchalantly.

"So are you going to talk to her again-"

"What is with all the questions today!" Dallas barked. Ponyboy sighed halfheartedly and took his and Dallas' empty plates and put them in the sink. He went into the living room with the rest of the gang. But Dallas didn't get up. He was thinking hard on what Ponyboy had said. Why was he being nice to her? Maybe it was the way that when she looked at him she didn't look afraid or disgusted like most girls seemed to. Still, it wasn't like Dallas Winston to be nice to anyone, except maybe the gang. Dallas didn't know for sure why he was being so nice to her, but he didn't like it. That's when he decided that he couldn't be nice to her anymore; it just wasn't an option for him. He shook his head and stood up to join the others in the living room.

Two bit was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, looking irritated, and watching Mickey Mouse. Ponyboy and Johnny were sitting crossed legged next to each other in the floor. Dallas walked over and plopped down on the couch. "You guys wanna go do something today?" He asked offhandedly.

"Sure." Ponyboy replied looking at Johnny and Two bit, who both agreed.

"Alright then, let's go." Dallas said, jumping up and wasting no time to get going.

They walked down the road silently for a while before anyone spoke up. "Dally, where are we going?" Johnny asked curiously striding alongside Dallas.

"Well, Johnnycakes," Dallas said, "I thought we'd go bother Soda and Steve down at the DX."

"But Dally, they're working." Jonny replied quietly.

"So?" Dallas said bluntly, still walking in the direction of the little gas station that Sodapop and Steve worked at.

He strutted up to where Sodapop and Steve were standing outside, the others following a little ways behind him. "Hey guys." He called.

"Oh, hey Dally." Sodapop called back.

"What're you guys doing here?" Steve asked crossly.

"Ah, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop by." Dallas replied, pretending he didn't hear the impatience in Steve's voice. The group hung out around the DX for a while and, after a few Coca-colas and restocking on their cigarettes they trekked off again.

They headed off even further into town, but Ponyboy noticed that they never came close to the hospital, or if they did Dallas was quick to walk the other direction. Two bit left them to go meet up with his girlfriend after a while. So the trio, Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny, continued to roam around the town until it had grown dark outside. "Hey, Dally, I better get home or Darry'll have a fit." Ponyboy said as they rounded another corner. Dallas just shrugged and Ponyboy turned to leave.

"Wait." Dallas turned to Ponyboy. "Take Johnnycakes with you in case you guys get jumped tonight." He said nodding his head towards Johnny.

"Not that I'd be much help." Johnny muttered feebly, but set off with Ponyboy nonetheless.

Dallas walked around for a while longer, not planning on doing anything in particular. After walking around purposelessly for a few more minutes his stomach started to growl. He sighed and entered the nearest restaurant and took a seat towards the back. A pretty girl with long blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail came bouncing over to his table. "Hello, I'm Joann and I'll be your waitress!" She said perkily, with a big, and fake, smile extended across her face. But her smile withdrew when Dallas looked up from his menu and fixed her with an irked expression on his face. "Um…What c-can I get you sir?" She asked in a panicky voice. Dallas sighed and looked at the ceiling in indignation before fixing the girl with a vexed glare. "I'll take a cheeseburger and a Coca-Cola." He replied crossly.

The girl simply nodded and swallowed hard, before warily reaching for his menu, grabbing it, spinning on her heels and dashing away. Dallas sat and waited for his food, which came back out somewhat fast. As he was eating, he took the chance to glance around the rest of the restaurant. His eyes fell onto the one familiar face that he really did not want to see. Kaitlyn was sitting alone in a corner, gazing into her glass of whatever she was drinking. She was moving her finger in a circle around the top of her glass slowly, looking awfully downcast. Dallas eyed her curiously, but made no point to talk to her. He ate quickly and paid for his food, which he'd fully intended on skipping out on but wanted to draw no attention to himself, and moved quickly outside. He had planned to leave as fast as he could, but stopped. He knew that he should go if he wanted to avoid Kaitlyn, but for some reason, he decided to stand outside and smoke a cigarette first.

He leaned back against the wall and smoked one, then two cigarettes before finally turning to leave. He started to walk past the doors, but was promptly smacked in the face by one of them. "Ow!" He growled, turning to glare at the person behind the door. "Oh, Dallas, I am so sorry!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, shutting the door and surveying his face for damage.

"It's fine." He muttered as he sidestepped away from the door so he didn't get hit again.

Kaitlyn smiled up at him apprehensively. "Well, at least it's not bleeding; I didn't wear a jacket today."

Dallas started to smile back at her, but stopped himself, setting a scowl on his face instead. "Yeah, lucky me."

Kaitlyn laughed uneasily, picking up on his dry attitude towards her. "So…How've you been?"

"Fine." He replied stonily.

"Where were you today? I was sort of excepting you to see me off this morning at the hospital." She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I had stuff to do." He said simply.

"Oh." Sighed Kaitlyn, looking down cast again. "So." She said trying to get a conversation going.

"So what?" Dallas asked nastily and turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Kaitlyn followed him and grabbed his shoulder to spin him around fixing him with an angry face, but the confusion in her eyes was evident. "What's your problem? I don't remember what I did to make you act like a jerk, could you please enlighten me!"

"I've just got better things to do than talk to you." He replied venomously.

"Excuse me!" Kaitlyn yelled.

"You heard me!" He yelled back. "Why do you keep talking to me, huh? I don't even like you!"

"They why! Why did you talk to me, why did you help me the other day, or visit me, or almost kiss me?" She countered angrily.

"Because I was trying to repay you for helping me with the cops, I don't like owing people!" He snapped back.

"So, you never liked me, not even a little?" Kaitlyn asked in a defeated voice.

"Not even a little." Dallas hissed maliciously, and a nasty sneer spread across his face. "In fact, I can't even stand you."

Kaitlyn drew in a deep breath and looked at him like they were merely discussing the weather. "Well, if that's how you feel…Well then. Ok. I'll leave you alone." She started to walk away, but stopped and turned back. "Oh, and just so you know my only two friends stopped talking to me. They said I could either hang out with you and your friends or them. I chose you." She then turned and walked to the restaurant's parking lot, climbed into her car and sped off.

Dallas didn't move after she drove away, he squinted after her until he couldn't see her car anymore, then just stood there staring at the spot where Kaitlyn stood yelling at him only a few moments ago. He remained there for seconds, minutes, hours, he didn't know. He just stayed there until the owner of the restaurant came outside and nervously asked him to leave. He turned at took off running, but he wasn't sure where he was running to.

After running for a while he found himself outside the Curtis' house. He slowed down and walked up to their door. It was unlocked, as usual. He let himself in and saw the living room was empty. He sighed and fell over onto the couch. He knew that they wouldn't mind him staying the night here; it wasn't like he could go home. Soon enough he was snoring on the couch, deep in a peaceful sleep.

On the other side of town however, Kaitlyn was lying wide awake in her bed.

She had driven home and had barely parked her car before she was out of it storming up the stone walkway to her door, which she opened and slammed behind her. She didn't stop until she was in her room with the door closed behind her. She felt so angry at everything. She kicked off her shoes and dressed hurriedly for bed. But she didn't get into her bed. She just paced her room in circles, milling the whole day over in her head.

She lost her only two friends. Then not even an hour later, the only other person she thought was her friend told her he hated her. The thought of Dallas Winston infuriated her. Kaitlyn stopped pacing and kicked her dresser forcefully. "Ow!" She yelped, now clutching her now aching foot. She hopped over to her bed and collapsed onto it. She climbed slowly to the top and lay down. She just laid there awake for hours, unable to fall asleep. But, eventually she managed to drift off into a light sleep, as dreams of Dallas Winston continued to flash before her eyes.

After a while she awoke crying. She sat up and scowled into the darkness, silently chastising herself for allowing Dallas to get to her like this. As the tears streamed down her face, she just hugged her knees and let herself cry. Kaitlyn didn't cry very often, but she couldn't help herself.

Dallas was tossing and turning on the Curtis' couch, his peaceful sleep was now being disrupted by a nightmare.

_Dallas was walking down the street; it was just like any other normal day. But, he turned a corner and saw the same Socs that had attacked Kaitlyn the other day. "Hey, what're you doing here?" Dallas asked almost casually. Then the boy with the thick black hair stood up from where he crouched, his eyes looking crazy, a disturbing smile on his face. He tapped his friends and they all stood up. Beneath them was Kaitlyn. That's when Dallas noticed all the blood all around them. "What did you do?" He yelled. They all laughed manically and ran away down the road. _

_Dallas dropped to his knees in front of Kaitlyn. "Hey!" He shook her shoulders, but she didn't move. Dallas just stared wide eyed at her unmoving body. "Somebody, help me!" He demanded as people just walked by him. "Help!" But the bystanders around them just ignored him and continued to walk. "HEY! I SAID HELP ME DAMMINT!" He shrieked at the people around him. _

_He turned back to Kaitlyn who hadn't moved. "Don't be dead…Please." He pleaded. He sighed and stared at her blank face. He had given up on the people around him, and was about to stand up to go get help himself when all of the sudden he felt a firm grip on his wrist. Kaitlyn was clenching his wrist, a distant look in her eyes. "I hate you." She said, sounding far away. _

"_What?" Dallas asked quietly._

"_I hate you!" She yelled._

Dallas bolted up from the couch. He was still in the Curtis' living room, but someone had placed a blanket on him. He was sweating and breathing hard. He didn't really know why, but that dream had terrified him. He fell back onto the couch and put his hands behind his head. He couldn't get back to sleep though. He kept on thinking about Kaitlyn, no matter how much he tried not to. She was there in his head and he had a feeling that she was going to stay there.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Ponyboy was walking down the street; hair greased back, hands shoved into his pockets. He kicked a pile of dirt weakly, bored out of his mind. Nothing interesting had happened in what seemed like forever. He sighed a weary sigh and continued down the road to his home. It was getting late in June and school would be starting back soon-this thought only made Ponyboy even more lifeless. He strode down the road a little while longer until he came face to face with a group of Socs. One had short cropped hair and was wearing a bright red jacket. Ponyboy turned and started to head in the opposite direction fast, but he knew they had seen him. He could hear their laughter as they followed him. He swore under his breath and sped up, but they knew that they would follow him.

He dashed around another corner before turning to look over his shoulder.  
_Thud._  
One of the Socs pounded into him and they both fell to the ground. Ponyboy landed hard on his back and the breath was knocked out of him. As he struggled to breathe he felt a searing pain on the top of his head. One of the Socs was pulling him by his hair. They slammed him powerfully into a fence on the side of the street. Ponyboy yelped in pain and the Socs laughed maliciously. Ponyboy looked up at the Soc who had hold of his head, his teeth gritted angrily. His eyes were watering from the pain, but he wasn't about to cry. The Soc with the red jacked smiled down at him. "Hiya Greaser!" he chimed nastily. "Nice hair you got here." He paused as if in thought for a moment. "Wonder what would happen if we ripped it off?" He questioned.

He pulled up on Ponyboy's hair, hauling Ponyboy to his feet. Ponyboy squirmed urgently against the Soc's grip. Then, to Ponyboy's surprise, the Soc let go. Ponyboy raised his eyes to look at the Soc, but was met by a fierce blow to face, causing him to stumble backwards. He raised his fist to fight back, though his eyesight was blurry, but was met by another punch to his stomach, then to his face again. He fell over backwards and heard the Socs laughing. He could hear them closing in and squeezed his eyes shut tightly in anticipation. But nothing happened.

Ponyboy opened his eyes and saw the silhouette of a person standing in front of him. Their head was inclined to the side. He could see the Soc standing in front of the other person, his arm still extended out and his hand still in a fist, looking shocked. Ponyboy's rescuer straightened themselves to look at the Soc. "I suggest you leave." A familiar voice snarled. The Socs looked taken aback for a moment, but regained their composure and turned to leave; the one in the red jacket mumbled an apology before running to catch up with his friends. "Kaitlyn?" Ponyboy asked nervously.

She turned around and smiled down at Ponyboy. Her left cheek was very bright red where the Soc had evidently hit her. She offered her hand to him and he took it gratefully. "You alright?" She asked him as he swayed on his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied quietly, putting his hands back into his pocket. Kaitlyn smiled and opened her mouth to say something when another voice cut in.

"Hey, Ponyboy! Are you ok?" Dallas called as he jogged over to where Kaitlyn and Ponyboy stood. Kaitlyn's face immediately became enraged looking. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked Ponyboy calmly. He nodded slowly, his head aching from being hit so hard. Kaitlyn smiled at him, threw a furious glance towards Dallas and walked away.

Dallas made it over to Ponyboy just as Kaitlyn walked away. "So I see she still hates me." He said miserably. Ponyboy nodded in agreement. Dallas had told him all about their fight the next day and Ponyboy didn't blame Kaitlyn for hating Dallas. But, Dallas had also confided in Ponyboy that he had lied, and he didn't really hate Kaitlyn. "Maybe you should go after her." Ponyboy suggested. Dallas didn't reply at first.

"You know what, your right." He finally agreed. He jogged after Kaitlyn, waving goodbye to Ponyboy over his shoulder.

He managed to catch up to Kaitlyn rather quickly and called out to her. She flinched a little, but continued walking. Dallas sighed exasperatedly before running after her. "Hey." He said, she ignored him. He ran until he was right beside her. "Hey." She just kept going. "Hey!" he yelled. She threw a quick glance at him, but didn't say anything. Dallas was getting irritated. He sped up, cut in front of her and place a hand on either of her shoulders, causing her to stop. She glared up at him. "I'm not going to talk to you." She stated plainly.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Why not?" she asked heatedly, her voice rising as she went. "Why not? Dallas are you crazy? You know why! You hate me remember? OR DID THAT NOT EVEN HAPPEN FOR YOU? WHAT DO YOU NEED NOW? I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU USE ME AGAIN, I'M THROUGH WITH YOU DALLAS WINSTON!" She finished her rant, breathing heavily from yelling.

"I know…I- I was lying though, I don't hate you." He said quietly.

"Then why would you tell me that? Come on, Dallas, you're just playing with me again!"

"No, I'm not." Dallas looked into her eyes. "I know it sounds stupid, but I had to lie to you-"

"Why?" Kaitlyn interrupted. "Why would you have had to lie to me?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it." He said guardedly.

"Dallas Winston, you make absolutely no sense at all. Look, you hurt me when you said you hated me, and now you think you can just waltz on in here and apologize? No. Just, stop trying to talk to me."

"But-"

"No buts! Dallas, you hate me! Just leave me alone!" She yelled and walked in the opposite direction. She crossed her arms and groaned angrily as she stormed off. But Dallas followed her. "Wait!" He grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. Kaitlyn spun and punched him square in the face. Her eyes widened in surprise at herself. Dallas' hand was on his now aching nose. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, and then Dallas moved in quickly and pressed his lips to Kaitlyn's. Her eyes widened even more and she was briefly stunned, but she came to her senses and pushed him off. He stared at her; his nose was starting to bleed now.

"What was that for?" She demanded.

Dallas took a sharp breath. "The only reason that I said I hated you….Was because I don't. I...I guess I'm just afraid of getting too close to anyone, I…I'm afraid of being hurt." He added the last part on reluctantly. Not only did he feel weird about talking about his feeling in general, but especially the ones that made him sound weak.

Kaitlyn was staring at him disbelievingly. "So, what does this mean?" she asked quietly.

Dallas inhaled deeply. "Look, I'm not exactly good at talking about my feeling and stuff. I'm not sure, but I think it means…I love you." His last few words hung in the air for a few intense seconds. He couldn't believe he'd said it. Did he love Kaitlyn? He hadn't really loved anyone before, so he wasn't sure if that was what the feeling inside of him was. Kaitlyn blinked perplexedly up at him. "So first you hate me, and then you love me…" She trailed off, unable to find anything to say. Dallas took a step towards her and Kaitlyn lashed out, slapping him right across his left cheek. Her breath was coming out uneven and she looked almost in pain. Dallas' expression was very similar. "I'm-I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone then." He said, his voice sounding thick, and went to turn away. "No wait!" Kaitlyn called.

Before she could even think to stop herself, she threw herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted her lips firmly on his. Dallas was stupefied and for a moment didn't move. But, once he was thinking clearly he fixed his hands around her waist and kissed her back.

They stayed liked that for a few more moments before Kaitlyn pulled back and started coughing and spitting. "What?" Dallas asked confusedly. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Your nose." Was all she said. Dallas had forgotten that his nose was bleeding, and the red on Kaitlyn's mouth explained it all. She sighed and removed her jacket, handing it to Dallas who took it appreciatively and pressed it against his nose. "You know, this is starting to be a habit." She said miserably, but with a smile on her face. Dallas chuckled quietly.

"Yeah I know." He said smiling back at her. Kaitlyn's smile, however, had evaporated and was replaced with an intense look. "What?" He asked anxiously.

"So what does this mean…For us I mean?" She asked him delicately.

He looked at her, perplexed, and then comprehension dawned on his face. But he merely said, "Oh, that."

"Not quite the answer I was looking for, Dallas." She said indignantly.

Dallas sighed tiredly. "I don't know."

"Well, that's helpful. She said sarcastically.

"Hey I'm thinking here alright!" Dallas exclaimed

"Ok, ok. Just don't hurt yourself." She murmured.

Dallas gawked at her for a moment, then he started to laugh, quietly at first, then it grew until he was doubled up in a fit of laughter. Kaitlyn wasn't sure what she had said that was so funny; but watching him laugh so much made her laugh as well. Soon they were both in hysterics, and Dallas had tears in his eyes from laughing. Their laughing died down eventually and they just stood there smiling at each other. "Well," Kaitlyn said turning from Dallas and looking up the street. "This is a pleasant change."

"What's a pleasant change?" Asked Dallas.

"Us laughing instead of arguing." She said joyously. "So, now what?" She asked, turning back to face Dallas.

"Well, it's only five; wanna go grab something to eat?"

"Sure!" Kaitlyn replied.

"Alright then." Dallas said. "Let's go."

They started off down the street and Kaitlyn slipped her and into Dallas'. The pair walked hand in hand to a little restaurant called Dan's Burgers-N-Stuff. People stared at them shamelessly, not even bothering to conceal their surprise at the odd duo. They went up to the counter, ordered their food, then went to sit together in a booth in the back of the restaurant. They ate their food, chatting merrily and laughing loudly. At one point they were taking turns throwing fries into each other's mouth.

"Uh, I'll be right back; I need to use the bathroom." Dallas said abruptly, standing up and walking off.

"Oh, ok." Kaitlyn said quietly as he walked away. She looked down and started to eat a fry, stealing some of Dallas' ketchup. Someone cleared their throat beside her and Kaitlyn looked up to see an anxious looking middle aged woman with graying hair and a big handbag hanging off her arm looking down at her. "Do you have a moment?" The woman asked nervously.

"Yeah, sure." Kaitlyn replied curiously as the woman made to take Dallas' seat but looked at it as if it were going to burst to life and eat her. "It's not infected." Kaitlyn said heatedly. The woman finally sat down and glanced apprehensively around her. "W-Will he be back soon?" The woman asked timidly, shifting in the seat.

"I don't know." Kaitlyn replied bitterly eating another fry.

"Do you know who that is?" The woman asked looking very serious.

"Yeah he's Dallas Win-"

"No no girl, I mean do you know who he _really _is?" The woman asked, clenching and unclenching her handbag. "Like, did you know that he used to live in New York?" She asked.

"Yeah, so?" Kaitlyn replied, but she hadn't known that Dallas was from New York, but then again that topic never really came up in a conversation.

"Well when he lived there he was in a gang!" The woman replied exasperatedly. "I heard he did all kinds of bad things up there!"

Kaitlyn stared at the woman, unsure of what to say. She furrowed her brow in thought and the woman continued. "I mean, he's even been to jail, and not just once, multiple times!" She looked grimly at Kaitlyn before going on. "Now, I'm just saying, but I don't that he's exactly the right company for a lovely young lady such as yourself-"

"Why not?" Kaitlyn interrupted, looking coldly at the woman who was still gripping her handbag.

"Well, just look at his reputation, look at what he's done!" the woman whispered severely, leaning in towards Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn sighed wearily and fixed the woman with a serious look. "Look, people make mistakes, but you can't just look at what people have done, you gotta look at the good things that they're capable of, and help them to see them too." She explained quietly.

"So," the woman said, her voice sounding forcedly calm "you think that you can what, help him turn his life around or something, _him_?"

"That's the general idea, yeah." Kaitlyn replied evenly, taking another fry and dipping in Dallas' ketchup; smiling triumphantly when the woman cringed.

"Well, I'll tell you this, it's a lost cause! You can't change filth like that!" the woman snapped angrily before standing up and storming away. Kaitlyn looked after the woman for a moment then looked down at her food and shook her head in confusion before continuing to eat.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and she started, but turned to see Dallas smiling down at her. "Gotcha." He said before sitting down. "Sorry I took so long; the line was almost out of the door." He said, smiling at her as he started to eat again.

"Hey, Dallas, how come you never told me you used to live in New York?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

Dallas held her gaze. "Never came up I guess." He said calmly, but his face had grown stony and he mashed some fries angrily into his ketchup.

Kaitlyn decided to drop it for now, but she wondered why he didn't want to talk about it so much. She decided to change the subject to brighten the now dismal mood. "So…Tell me about your family." She said smiling at him as he crammed his mouth full of french-fries. "Not really much to talk about there." He said thickly, his mouth still full of food. "My dad's an ass, and I don't know my mom."

"Oh." Kaitlyn looked at the ground. She felt as if she had made the mood even more grim.

"So, what about you?" Dallas asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, I've got an older sister and a younger brother. Then there's my mom and my dad, but you've met them." She replied. Her and her family had always been very close.

"I never really needed family." Said Dallas unexpectedly. Kaitlyn looked up at him curiously. "Ever since I was a kid I was on my own," He continued "I was out on the streets, and didn't have or need nobody. I was twelve when I first went to jail. Yeah, I know that's young." He added when he saw Kaitlyn surprised face.

"But then I moved here, and I met the gang. They're all good guys." He paused for a moment and Kaitlyn was unsure if he was going to continue.

"I don't even need a home really." He said quietly. "If I go there, my dad is a big jerk to me. I don't ever stay there; I just crash where I can. But, I sort of wish I had somewhere that I could call home. I…I don't even know why I'm saying this." He said suddenly, he was gripping his cup tightly.

"Dallas, it's ok. You…You can talk to me. If you want that is." She told him carefully, but this only seemed to make it worse.

"I don't need to talk to anyone about how I feel!" He snapped. "I'm fine. I'm tough, and I don't need anybody!" He had squeezed his cup so hard that it burst in his hands, sending Coca-Cola all over the table. "Damn." Dallas whispered, "I'll go get some napkins, sorry." He mumbled as he stood up and walked away. Kaitlyn covered her face with her hands and sighed. What had happened? They were getting along so great and then, this. Dallas was a very confusing person. She was starting to feel drained from the crazy day, but was confident that it couldn't get any wilder.

She raised her face out of her hands when she heard Dallas arrive. He moped up his mess sullenly with some napkins. When he was finished, he threw the sodden napkins their food tray and went to dump it. He came back to the table but didn't say anything for a while, but he didn't sit down either. "You ready to go? I can take you home if you want." he asked quietly after a few awkward moments of silence.

"Sure" Kaitlyn replied, getting to her feet and leading the way out of the little restaurant. They walked in silence for a while. Kaitlyn had to try very hard to ignore the blatant pointing at whispering. Why did people in this place have to have such a problem with others? As they walked, Kaitlyn threw a glance at Dallas. He looked angry and refused to even look in Kaitlyn's direction. She sighed and looked down at the ground. Then, she carefully slipped her hand into Dallas'. He looked down, surprise unwillingly painting his face. But, he controlled himself and looked back up, but seemed less angry all together.

They finally made it back to Kaitlyn's house and stopped on the front porch. Kaitlyn turned to face Dallas and was relieved to see that his face was now relaxed. "So," she said, smiling tentatively "today was…Interesting. Not that I didn't have any fun, though I didn't exactly enjoy getting punched in the face." She added.

Dallas chuckled and smiled down at her. "Well, did you at least enjoy this part?" he asked before leaning in and kissing her again. They broke apart after a few moments. Kaitlyn smiled up at him. "Yeah, that part was alright." She replied. He smiled at her for a second the turned on his heels and jogged off. "See ya around!" He called over his shoulder. Kaitlyn smiled and waved before heading into the house, her still bloody jacket in tow. She managed to sneak in in the washer without being caught. "Kaitlyn," her mother called from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Oh, sorry mom, but a friend and I ate at a burger place just a bit ago." Kaitlyn called back. She heard her mother mutter something about ungratefulness, but let Kaitlyn escape to her bedroom.

Once there, Kaitlyn slipped off her shoes. She remembered the last time she had come home after seeing Dallas; she had been in a much unhappier state then. She dropped onto her bed and stayed there, staring at the ceiling for a moment before rolling onto her stomach. She lay face down in the sheets, thinking the whole day over. Dallas had confused her immensely. One minute he was kind and sweet, the next he was cruel and hateful, then he changed again. She could tell that he was a bit unstable. But from what he'd told her, his family wasn't exactly stable either.

Then she started thinking about that woman, and what she'd told her. Did she really hope to change Dallas? Was there any hope? She knew that she had to try, for his sake. She pushed herself off her bed and walked over to her bathroom. She showered and brushed her teeth and hair before heading back to her bedroom. She flicked the lights off and lay back down on her bed where she quickly fell asleep.

_Clank, Clank._ Kaitlyn sat up in her bed. She looked over at her clock. It read **12:01am. **_Clank, Clank. _Kaitlyn head the noise again. She looked over to her window to where the sound seemed to be coming from. _Clank. _A rock hit the window. Kaitlyn opened the window apprehensively. The night air rushed in and caused her nightgown to billow out around her.

She looked down and saw someone standing in her yard, rock in hand. Their blonde hair was illuminated in the moonlight. "Hey there sleeping beauty!" _  
_


End file.
